French Open stars beg to postpone matches as tennis chiefs given fresh headache
The third round of the men's singles at the French Open is set to clash with Paris Saint-Germain's crucial Champions League final against Inter Milan on Saturday night
French Open organisers will be forced to deal with an unwanted clash of sporting schedules on Saturday, with the Champions League final causing problems on and off the court. Paris Saint-Germain take on Inter Milan in European football's biggest club match in Munich – and the game is sure to disrupt events in the French capital.
PSG are aiming to lift the Champions League trophy for the first time on Saturday night and their pursuit of glory has caused some conflicts for players. Les Parisiens are followed by a handful of the players competing at Roland Garros, including Arthur Fils, who is from a suburb of Paris.
Fils plays Jaume Munar in the second round of the French Open on Thursday, knowing that victory could bring him a painful schedule clash with his beloved PSG on Saturday night. 'I plan to go to the match,' Fils joked when asked about the potential issue.
'No, it's a huge final. I'll watch it from my room. I don't want to waste energy on it, but I'll be fully invested.' He then joked: 'Let me play my match on Thursday then I'll go and have a word with Amelie," referring to the tournament director Amelie Mauresmo.
Joking aside, it is an issue for Mauresmo to consider, with attendances for Saturday evening's third-round matches potentially taking a hit, with thousands of Parisiens instead choosing to watch PSG vs Inter in the city's bars.
PSG star Ousmane Dembele was at the French Open drawer ceremony, while his team-mates Achraf Fakimi, Nuno Mendes, Desire Doue and Joao Neves attended Roland Garros on Monday to watch Carlos Alcaraz's first-round match.
Dembele is a friend of fellow Frenchman Ugo Humbert, who plays Britain's Jacob Fearnley in the second round on Thursday and is hoping for a morning match on Saturday if he gets through. 'More like the start of the day,' he smiled when asked about the clash. 'While we're recovering – 11 a.m. is very good!"
Gael Monfils will play British No.1 Jack Draper on Thursday for a place in the third round, but even if he loses there is another potential problem, with his wife Elina Svitolina also in the competition. 'For the moment, I don't have a ticket (for the final in Munich),' he said. 'But you have to remember that I have my wife. Getting a ticket isn't a problem, [but] we'll also have to see if I can go.'
Defending champion Alcaraz may be a Real Madrid fan, but he's backing PSG on Saturday night. "Of course I will watch it,' he said. "I watch football, I watch him [Dembele] a lot as a huge fan of La Liga, and when you were playing in Barcelona you made some trouble and some pain for us [Real Madrid].
"Yeah, I'm going to watch the final. And, honestly, I've told everyone that I'm supporting PSG this time."
Jannik Sinner said: 'As an Italian, I say that it would be nice to see an Italian team win. [PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi] Donnarumma is also here. We've been good friends for a long time, we know each other well and for me it was an honour to see him in my box.'
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Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Jadon Sancho's preferred club tells him they are not interested in transfer
Borussia Dortmund have told Jadon Sancho they cannot offer him a route back to the club this summer. Sancho has returned to Manchester United after Chelsea opted against signing him on a permanent deal following a season on loan at Stamford Bridge, paying a £5million penalty to avoid keeping him at the club. Ruben Amorim has no plans to integrate Sancho back into the first-team at Old Trafford. The 25-year-old has one year left on his deal thought to be worth around £300,000-a-week with United desperate to offload him on a permanent basis this summer. After being banished from the squad by Erik ten Hag, Sancho returned to former club Dortmund in January 2024, showing slight glimpses of his once fearsome form as the Bundesliga side reached the Champions League final. A return to Dortmund is reportedly Sancho's preferred option – but his former side are focusing on other priorities this summer. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you. Bayer Leverkusen have also been linked with a move for Sancho with the club searching for a replacement for Florian Wirtz who is poised to complete a record move to Liverpool. 'Of course, contact with Jadon is always there, in some way, because we have a very long history,' Dortmund's sporting director Sebastian Kehl said. 'But it's not an issue for us right now. We have other priorities at the moment, and that's why the Sancho issue was probably played up more in the media than discussed internally.' More Trending However, the appointment of ten Hag as Xabi Alonso's replacement would surely scupper those plans given the history between the Dutchman and Sancho. United will take a huge hit on the £71m they paid to side Sancho five years if they do manage to offload him this summer. A loan deal could be a more likely option with Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Tottenham named as three clubs monitoring his situation. United meanwhile are also hoping to offload Marcus Rashford and Antony. The England international is still holding out for a dream move to Barcelona while Real Betis, where Antony shone on loan last season, are not thought to be in a position to meet United's asking price for a permanent move. MORE: Arsenal dealt blow as Nico Williams responds to Bayern Munich approach MORE: Chelsea sent message by Borussia Dortmund over failed Jamie Gittens transfer MORE: AC Milan hit 'problem' in talks to sign Oleksandr Zinchenko from Arsenal
